Former U.S. President Donald Trump stated he would "love to see a unified Ireland" during a meeting with Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin in Dublin, a comment that has since drawn sharp criticism from prominent British politicians and unionist leaders.
During a two-day visit to the Republic of Ireland for political engagements and golf, Trump, speaking alongside Martin at the Farmleigh Estate, remarked that the reunification of Ireland and Northern Ireland "will happen eventually" and would be a "great thing."
"I don't want to cause any trouble, but I'll tell you I would love to see a unified Ireland," Trump said. "I think it would be a great feather in everybody's cap if that happened. It's going to happen eventually. You know how I see it, it's going to happen eventually; it may as well happen now... I think it would be a fantastic thing. Now the UK will have something to say about it, obviously, but I think it would be a great thing."
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch was among the first to condemn the remarks, accusing Trump of "shooting from the hip as usual." She added that "this sort of loose talk about the future of democratic countries is deeply unhelpful and creates unnecessary tension."
Even Nigel Farage, a political ally of Trump, distanced himself from the comments. "Northern Ireland is a proud and integral part of the United Kingdom," Farage stated. "The people of Northern Ireland neither want a referendum, nor unification. I disagree with President Trump."
Unionist leaders in Northern Ireland also voiced their opposition. Democratic Unionist Party leader Gavin Robinson emphasized that "Northern Ireland's constitutional future will be decided by the people of Northern Ireland, not by commentary in London, Dublin or Washington." He asserted that Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom due to the "settled democratic will of its people" and expressed confidence that the region would continue to choose the UK.
Traditional Unionist Voice leader Jim Allister criticized Trump for "meddling in the affairs which don't concern him," stating, "Northern Ireland is not a pawn in Trump's fall-out with the UK. Our constitutional future does not depend on him or any other foreign dignitary."
Conversely, some Irish nationalists welcomed Trump's stance. Claire Hanna, leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), shared a clip of Trump's remarks, commenting, "In the last hour Donald Trump has announced that he is in favour of a united Ireland. It turns out that he isn't as orange as he looks."
Former SDLP leader Colum Eastwood, an open critic of the former president, also shared a clip of the comments on social media, adding, "Always liked him."
Trump's visit to Dublin also included a meeting with Irish President Catherine Connolly at Áras an Uachtaráin. During his stay, he also commented on the Falkland Islands, suggesting that any conflict between the UK and Argentina would be a "disaster" and that he would be able to "settle it."
The former president's intervention on the sensitive issue of Northern Ireland's constitutional status comes at a time when the relationship between the U.S. and the UK has been described as being at its lowest ebb.